NATURAL HISTORY. 13 
gentlemen the “ natural history ” of a fish is limited 
to one item, its fitness for the table. They are not, 
however, in the majority, and their views need no 
consideration. 
The fishes named, save incidentally, in the fol- 
lowing pages number about a score, and include 
members of both great sub-classes, the bony and 
the cartilaginous fishes. In a sporting, and not 
zoological, handbook like the present, there is no 
objection to separating closely allied forms for the 
sake of the convenience gained by giving the fish 
and baits in alphabetic order. As an instance, the 
flounder and plaice are by this arrangement 
separated by a number of species not even 
remotely allied to them. 
Atherine, see Sand Smelt. 
This sea-perch is, save for table purposes, the 
finest fish of our coast, and its pursuit is at one 
time or other the chief aim, at once the 
pleasure and pain, of the angler. Ata later 
stage, he accepts philosophically the truth that there 
can only be about a thousand of these fish left in 
the Channel, and that very good sport may be had 
with pollack, mackerel and cod, of which the 
numbers are the same as ever. For all its 
lineage—and it ranks higher far than the so-called 
“king of fishes’’—the bass is a very foul feeder ; 
and I take this tardy opportunity of retracting, 
what eight years ago I believed to be perfectly 
true, that the baits for bass should be absolutely 
fresh. On the contrary, it has since been demon- 
strated to me, both by the lobster-pot and the 
hook, that, in the absence of /zve bait, a stale or 
“high” bait is as a rule more tempting to 
Bass 
